Backyard Baseball League

The Cows Come Home

Gnorst — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 15:36:00 GMT

It's that time again true believers. The grass is green, the gloves are oiled, the bats are swinging, and the balls are polished. Hmmm, perhaps that could have been put a little better... oh, who cares, the BBL's regular season is upon us!

This season the Moo bring to the park a much improved club from last year, primarily through the addition of a couple of high priced, high performing free agents.

Supplementing the sublime Olin Kyser in the malicious Moo rotation is notorious newcomer Keith Guthrie. Guthrie's gaudy numbers include a lifetime ERA of 2.39 with a record of 171 wins and 71 losses. He also has struck out 2095 batters in 2301 innings and allowed 1871 hits. The Moo rotation should be significantly stronger this season, with only a few questions in the bullpen.

On the offensive side the Moo are delighted with their spring training acquisition of the legendary Daniel McAlpin. He should be able to provide some inpressive protection in the lineup for superstar Errol Rumley, who returns to the catcher spot to start the season. Moo players are happy to see McAlpin on their side of the field, rather than on the opposite side mauling the Moo as a player for the Spalding Aeros.

Fan interest has never been higher to start a season. Get your tickets now, they're sure to go fast! Welcome back spring! Welcome back warm weather! Welcome back baseball!

1975 Williams League Outstanding Batter

Emrysx — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 04:07:00 GMT

3/19/08 St. Louis Press

St. Louis fans are up in arms over the Outstanding Batter award announcement. The Storm followers were quite confident that superstar right fielder Oswaldo Badillo would win his second consecutive Outstanding Batter award in his young 3 year career. Badillo, who was drafted 3rd overall in the 1973 draft had been in a battle all year with 1973 1st overall draft pick, Cruz Benavides. Benavides is known for his unmatchable plate disipline, drawing an amazing 119 walks this year, leading the league in OBP. Badillo had an outstanding season, leading in many stat categories, even topping his previous season which was good enough to name him the best player in the Williams League for the year. Badillo showed his relentless determination to be the best he could be for St. Louis. He ended the season stronger than ever with a .454 AVG, and 10 HR.

Both players' teams made it to the playoffs where they can showcase their skills even more. Both young guns have three years under their belt, Benevides at age 23, Badillo at age 22. These two superstars look to be in competition with one another for a great deal of time.

1975 Stats
Benavides | Badillo
Hits - 183 | 227
Home Runs - 34 | 46
AVG - .323 | .370
OBP - .443 | .432
SLG - .564 | .648
OPS - 1.007 | 1.080
VORP - 96.2 | 108.6
RBI - 89 | 118
Runs - 120 | 125
BB - 119 | 66
SB - 8 | 18

The Show Must Go On

Albatros — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 00:53:00 GMT

Going Mobile

Biloxi GM Harry Connick III had a somewhat disappointing recruiting season during the past winter, unable to sign the middle infielder or starting pitcher solution for the next few years during free agency or during trading. Cane management kicked in Plan B, resigning aging David Washington for another year from the free agent market and going with a modified 4 man rotation during the first half of the season.

The problem becomes compounded next season, as 3 starters in the infield, one of the league's prime closers, and longtime Cane favorite Terry Warkentin are looking at the end of their contacts, and in some cases the end of their current employment. Connick needs to decide who will return and who will be left to test the market as the majority of these potential free agents are well into their mid-thirties.

Hitless Wonders

Despite hitting less than .250 during the first half of the season and having less than overwhelming power, Biloxi has managed to lead the Feller during the entire season thus far. Most recently the lead has been extended to 5 games, surprising the Cane front office and delighting the fans.

It's the starting pitching and the closer that have carried the load. Doug Crossen and Manny Espinosa both have 9 wins, all 4 major starters already have 100 K's, and 3nd year starter Chad Nieman is second in the WL with 132 whiffs. The 4 man rotation with a heavy spot starter experiment is working so far, along with the support of James Gaston, continuing in his form from last season. Rookie callup John Billips is setting well into a setup roll as well.

Halfway Reporting

Approaching the all-star break, GM Connick is negotiations with several teams, as the faith in Plan B only goes so far, and the assumption is that 42 wins in 77 games is the best that this current lineup could ask for, and is unlikely to repeat in the second half of the season.

Maldonado Watch

Current Supes Level - Not Wolverine - Having a good season but missed a month with a broken hand.

Puffer pulls the fire alarm

Sardonic — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 18:23:00 GMT

Gord MacKenzie
Chronicle-Herald Sports

Offseason acquisition Scott Puffer must be shaking his head after watching his last three starts go up in smoke. The $12 million man enters May still looking for his first win of the season. His 0-1 record belies otherwise sterling statistics, including a 2.25 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 32 innings pitched.

Over his last three starts, Puffer has held opponents to a .212 batting average, with only one extra-base hit allowed in 19 innings. The staff ace has a 1.42 ERA – and three no-decisions to show for it.

Meanwhile, the bullpen has been experiencing a choke of Biblical proportions. In the 6 2/3 innings they’ve thrown in Puffer’s last three games, they’re 0-3 with a 17.41 ERA. Even worse, the ‘pen has completely self-immolated in the ninth inning, allowing at least (that's right, at least) three runs in each appearance. The ugliness looks like this (and remember, these are 9^th inning stats only):

IP H R ER BB K ERA AVG OBP SLG OPS

1.2+ 11 12 12 4 1 90.00 .687 .739 1.688 2.427

Puffer shrugs it off, saying “hey, we all have runs of bad luck some days.” But it’s clear that if the Atlantics want to keep pace with the likes of Boston and New York, they’re going to need a bullpen that’s more like firemen and less like arsonists.

The road to the World Series runs through…Yakima?

Sardonic — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 17:53:00 GMT

Gord MacKenzie

Chronicle-Herald Sports

YEEHAW JUNCTION, FL (CP) – The acquisitions of Scott Puffer and George Dunneback notwithstanding, the future of the Atlantics pitching staff appears to be now in a small Washington State town. The 1973 Yakima Yaks, Halifax’s AA affiliate, will, at least temporarily, feature “The Little Three.” Erubiel Martinez, Ben Roseberry, and first-round draft pick Edward Lane will anchor the Yaks’ rotation, though club-watchers expect at least one of them will make their way east by season’s end.

Edward Lane, this year’s first-rounder, is believed by some to be already major-league ready, though the acquisition of Puffer during the offseason will allow him some time to develop further in the minor league system. The 21-year-old righthander is coming off a 9-0, 1.74 senior season at Mississippi State, with an eye-popping 24/175 walk-to-strikeout ratio. Lane throws four plus pitches, including a plus-plus fastball that touches 100mph – an astounding feat considering his rather small 6’1”, 185 pound frame. Lane has good command of his off-speed pitches, which includes a devastating changeup and a curve with a nasty 12-to-6 break. Despite being the newcomer, he is considered closest to major league ready.

Erubiel Martinez was drafted as an 18-year-old out of the Dominican Republic in the first round of 1971. The native Cuban spent 1972 in Yakima, posting a 13-10 record with 156 K’s in just under 200 innings. Now 20, the lefty features three pitches, including a mid-90s fastball to go with a good changeup and adequate slider. Martinez does seem to struggle with control, but managed a solid 1.11 WHIP last season.

Ben Roseberry was the 30^th player chosen in the 1971 draft and, with Martinez, co-anchored the 1972 Yaks with a 14-6 record. At 22, he is the oldest of the group; intelligence and mound presence more than make up for a rather ordinary 90mph fastball. Solidly in the junk-throwing category, Roseberry has five other pitches in his arsenal, including an unusual right-handed screwball.

The young guns will for the time being stay in Yakima, where they will be joined offensively by rising stars Carter Akers, John Doyle, and newcomer Earl Donoghue. The sextet is not expected to stay together for long, with most observers expecting early season promotions for Lane, Martinez, and Akers. One thing is for certain – Atlantics watchers are eagerly looking forward to a reunion in Halifax over the next few seasons.

Other minor league notes:

The Fall River Lizzies (A) are staying put, according to club sources. Rumors had recently surfaced of a bet between Halifax ownership and two eccentric Texas millionaires known as “Big Enos” and “Little Enos.” A truck driver was challenged to make a round-trip run between Atlanta, Georgia and Texarkana, Texas with a load of bootlegged Coors beer. Despite numerous confrontations with law enforcement, including notorious Georgia sheriff Buford T. Justice, the run was successful. A loss would apparently have meant a move of the Fall River franchise to Texarkana to start the 1973 season. There was no comment on Halifax ownership’s winning stakes.

Learning to Fly

Albatros — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 17:15:00 GMT

Biloxi Blues

A poor last third of the season for the Hurricanes kicked up a 17-31 record. Mostly caused by a tremendous offensive slump - pitching varied durning the slump from slightly below average to very good - David Washington's injury collapsed what had been a nicely functional offense to cream cheese.

Washington's injury pointed out the largest deficency from the Tempest's bats during 1972; a lack of significant power from anyone other than DW left the team dangerously open to slumps and a lack of big innings. Contributing factors include:

Terry Warkentin's return to a midlevel offensive threat, rather than the 103 RBI performance in 1971.
Superman Maldonado's development was not as advanced as hoped - lots of doubles, great CF play, enough to win him a Gold Glove - but only 12 dingers and a .246 BA.
Shin Seo's road to nowhere began as his average, power and playing time diminished as Fermin 'Friar' Barrientos was brought up in August to take his firstbase role.
The Cane's middle infield play once Washington pulled up in August ranged from poor to truly rank.

Middle relief not only was average at best but in the end cost the team its hoped for advance to the World Series, and David Mcbeth 10 million dollar salary brought in 13 losses and a 4.03 ERA along with his 16 wins. Other starters woes include Willie Coffey stepping in for Chad Nieman during his injury, and was a disaster during the slump, going 0-8 with almost a run an inning and 2 baserunners a frame. Doug Crossen also came back to earth after the all star break, which he nearly qualified for, going 1-8 at one stage. It wasn't always Doug's fault though, as he only got 3.4 runs a game through the season, and still managed 11 wins.

But on the Other Hand...

Chad Nieman had a nice sophomore season despite a season ending injury - he returned to the playoffs and gamely pitched through a evident amount of pain - and finished with a 9-6, 2.86 ERA.

He headed up the Children's Crusade during 1972. Significant contributors include: Maldonado 20, Nieman, Barrientos and MR Kerley, all 22, and middle infielder Ramos 23 who looks like a nice utility infielder. If Willie Coffey, 21, can shake off his poor debut the 'Canes have a nice base for next decade.

On the other side of the age spectrum, Dan Curcio shook off his early season doldrums and was very solid during the last half of the season and into the playoffs.

Into the Breach!

The Canes barely made the playoffs, blowing a 8 game lead with 3 weeks left to Bradford, but recovered to beat them by 3 games. Good thing too, as Homer would have beaten the Canes via tiebreaker.

But once they were in, they took advantage as they took out an outstanding Falls Church squad in 4, and despite losing to Homer in 6 in the WLCS, could have easily beaten the Yeti as the middle relief and the otherwise reliable James Gaston failed to hold leads in the eighth and ninth innings in 3 of the Yeti victories.

David Washington returned from his injuries to hit .300 and knock in 13 runs in 10 playoff games. Washington then bade his team he led to the edge of a Championship Series farewell as he decided to hit the Free Agent market.

Troubling Times in Texas

caelon-tx — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 18:03:00 GMT

September 18, 1972, Houston, Texas - As one of the worst seasons in Texas baseball history draws to a close, it is time to take a hard look at the Timewarp, and where the team is headed. In case you haven't noticed, this team stinks! Actually, you probably haven't noticed. No one has. The stands this season at New Houston Park have been a ghosttown. It has been so bad, the team was forced to lay off half of the hotdog vendors because they were eating more hotdogs than were being sold to fans. The season definitely hit a low point, one of many, a week from Friday, when 18,000 fans turned out to see the much anticipated debut of young pitcher Philip Lewis. Lewis is expected to be a cornerstone of a completely overhauled rotation next year. If his first start is any indication, the "cornerstone" provides for a very weak foundation. Lewis gave up eleven hits and six runs in a mere three innings to fellow cellar-dweller St. Louis, as the Timewarp sulked their way to a 10-2 loss. Perhaps so many fans turned out for the game because of the unusual promotion that night - it was Texas Lasso Night. We have unconfirmed reports that after the game, several of the remaining diehard fans tried to use their lassos to hang themselves. Fortunately for them, the ropes broke, just like everything else associated with the Timewarp!

It would be unfair not to mention that Lewis looked brilliant in his second start, outdueling legendary David Toon and powerhouse Falls Church, the second best team in the majors, for a 7-3 win. This provided one of the rare memberable moments of the 72 season, as Texas took 2 out of 3 games in the series with Falls Church.

This year's crop of free agent signings have provided mixed results. The team signed an aging Larry Archer in hopes that it could get one good year out of him to stabilize the starting rotation some. All they got out of Archer really was a consistent batting practice pitcher, both for warmups and during the games he pitched in. Texas brought in Japanese import Ki-su Hisayuki, expecting to get solid production from the bat that was such a force in the Japanese Central League. Yuki has struggled to adjust to the North American game though, especially in making contact with pitches to the outside of the plate, and was eventually sent down to the minors to work on his swing. Sporting a .228 average and managing more strikeouts than hits will do that for you. There were a couple positives though, as starter Irving Canizales, who is just entering the prime of his career, has been a real find. While making the league minimum, he has consistently been the best Texas starter since his call up from the Freedom early in the season. And reliever Hector Colon has definitely earned his contract, providing some solid innings first as a setup man and then as the primary closer. He has made the sting of trading away popular shutdown man Thomas Correa for prospects somewhat bearable.

Speaking of trades, how did Texas fare in the Great Purge of 72? The team jettisoned most of its talent, along with any hopes of being competitive for the next season or two, for prospects and picks. While it is too early to tell, the aforementioned Lewis looks like he could be the real deal and become an integral part of a young rotation with his wicked curveball and slider. Both prospects obtained in the Arispe/Caley trade with Falls Church, 2B Norman Cruz and CL Jeremiah Siddiqui, have done very well in AAA ball. Siddiqui struggled with Falls Church earlier in the year, but may still play for the Timewarp next season. Other prospects, including "Broadway" Weaver, Joey McHone, Andres Vina, and Henry Gerson, are still probably a season or two away, but have shown promise.

This year's first round draft pick, strangely nicknamed "Shrimp" Rodriguez -- the kid is 6"6, for Pete's sake!! -- has not looked overmatched playing regularly for AAA Freedom, and soon could begin leading the Texas offense for years to come. Young outfielders Ervin Stallcup and Patrick Brown have done well at the top of the order, and should play key roles going forward. Beloved catcher Ronald Bakken continues to carry the team with his bat. And if 1B Randall Wiersma could learn not to swing at every pitch thrown in his general direction, he could provide some protection for Bakken in the lineup. With presumably a top two pick in the upcoming 1973 draft, and several picks in the second round, the team's young talent pool should only get better.

The rest of the season is going to be pretty ugly, no doubt about it. Surging beer sales are the only thing keeping the team's bottom line close to breaking even. That makes sense though, as one has to wonder why anyone would want to watch a Texas ballgame sober these days. The record will not be the worst in history, with the 1958 debacle almost untouchable in its ineptitude, but it certainly feels like it. The future does look bright though. If only we could "Timewarp" to get there soon, and not suffer through all of this miserable baseball we're seeing now.

By Staff Writer Billy Bush

September 1972 ESPN.com Power Rankings

Jarien — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 17:58:00 GMT

There are a few good races left as we head into the last fortnight of the regular season. In the ML, Boston and New York are fighting for the Banks Division crown, with the team that falls short still leading in what will be a close wild card race with Vienna and from-out-of-nowhere Chessie. The WL, meanwhile, features all the excitement of paint drying as all three divisions are all but wrapped up (in fact, Spalding clinched the Foxx in June, as we recall). There’s a mildly interesting wild card contest between Homer and Bradford, who trails by 3 games. This time around, we’ll go through the rankings and then hit our playoff predictions. These predictions come from the same people who predicted that Superior would win the Foxx, so keep in mind the fact that we are morons as you read our picks. We will point out that while we might lament the fact that Spalding and Falls Church can’t meet in the World Series, and no ML team seems to match either of them, the ML did win the interleague matchup this year, so let’s not be so sure that the ML doesn’t have what it takes to win the crown.

1. Spalding Aeros – Previous Ranking: 1 (-) –

Chris Huckstep and Scott Puffer are a combined 39-6 this season, each making his own case to take the CAHMWLPOTY award away from David Toon this season (Huckstep has more wins, but Puffer has the better overall numbers). Now add John Nissen to the mix, and suddenly this pitching staff turns into one of the league’s best, which is something we don’t recall ever saying about a Spalding staff. We still recall this as the staff led by Jerry Virgin and his 20-wins and 4.50 ERA.

2. Falls Church Frenzy – Previous Ranking: 2 (-) –

You don’t hear all that much about him, but what really makes the Frenzy offense go (they’ve scored the second most runs in the league this season) is their leadoff man Chris McDill, who has a .382 OBP against right-handed pitching and 67 stolen bases. But it’s a good thing that the Frenzy don’t face too many lefties in the DiMaggio (only 28 total games against lefties this year) because McDill’s OBP drops to .266 against southpaws.

3. Bowie Knives – Previous Ranking: 7 (+4) –

The step down from the Aeros and Frenzy is a big one, but the Knives have impressed as one of the league’s best teams in the second half of the season. Keep in mind this a team that was ranked #17 in our early-season edition of the power rankings. If you want to pin this turnaround on a single player, because you are simplistic like that and ignore the intricacies of a team game, then look no further than Herb Matthias. In the first 3 months of the season, Matthias had an OPS of .735, .655, and .586. But since the start of July, he’s hit .361 and has a .952 OPS. If the first half of his season had been like the second half, we’d be talking about him for MVP.

4. Boston Big Digs – Previous Ranking: 3 (-1) –

Neither Boston nor New York is coming up big in September so far. Boston maintains the upper hand in the division race, but needs more from several key members if their lineup. Ricardo Saenz, Santiago Barraza, John Coffin, and Rob Weber are hitting a combined .123 in each of their last 5 games. Those are batters 1, 2, 4, and 5 in their lineup. If that trend continues, Boston won’t just blow their lead in the division, they’ll lose the wild card, too.

5. New York Empire – Previous Ranking: 5 (-) –

While the Boston hitters are struggling, the New York starting pitchers are doing the same. Starters Vinny Huertas, Ken Araujo, and Ryan Wolcott are a combined 0-7 with a 6.56 ERA. And rookie of the year candidate Mark Samuels, who was 7-6 with a 2.34 ERA at the end of July, has tanked as the season has concluded, 1-5 with a 4.93 ERA in his last 9 starts. Only ace Melvin Allshouse seems to be holding this pitching staff together.

6. Biloxi Hurricanes – Previous Ranking: 8 (+2) –

On the season, Biloxi has scored a whopping 6 runs more than they have allowed, and yet barring a total collapse this team is poised to win their division easily. The season-ending injury to 22 year-old phenom Chad Nieman really hurt the Canes. His replacement is 21 year-old Willie Coffey, who is 0-3 with a 7.11 ERA in September. His poor performance aside, it’s always nice to see a young player like that get his chance at a (giggle) cup of (giggle) Coffey (giggle) in the big leagues (giggle).

7. Homer Yetis – Previous Ranking: 12 (+5) –

The Yetis are in good shape to actually make one of our predictions come true and win the wild card. The Yetis also take home the award for league-worst pinch hitter in Scott “Stump” Murray, who has 5 hits in 35 pinch hitting appearances (.143 average) this season. In August and September, he has an OPS of .276 and .258, respectively. But lousy pinch hitting aside, this is a pitching team, with the 3^rd best staff in the league, and a good pitching staff can be very scary in a short playoff series.

8. St. Boni Bashers – Previous Ranking: 9 (+1) –

St. Boni still enjoys a 5-game lead in the Gibson, but their hopes of advancing far into the playoffs could be in jeopardy if Park Seung-Yeop doesn’t emerge from his slump. He’s 2-4 with a 7.18 ERA in his last 6 starts, and is 4-9 with a 5.24 ERA since the start of July. And this is a guy with a WHIP under 1 for his previous 4 seasons, so the Bashers were clearly counting on him to win some games in the postseason.

9. Vienna Buzz – Previous Ranking: 4 (-5) –

The Buzz take a fall in this edition of the rankings because they’re currently 3^rd in their division and 3^rd in the ML wild card standings. But they stay in the top-10 because they are the unluckiest team in the league. If the world were run by Pythagoras, Vienna would have the best record in all of the ML, not trailing Bowie by 7.5 games in the Musial. But the Buzz have lost a league-high 30 one-run games, winning only 19. A lot of their top hitters just come up small in close/late situations: Arias – .588 OPS, Skipworth – .571 OPS, Fogel – .652 OPS, Rivero – .642 OPS, Harvey – .694 OPS, and, worst of all, Blanck – .373 OPS.

10. Bradford Bulls – Previous Ranking: 6 (-4) –

The middle of the lineup has carried this team all year. Matt Sheedy is a legitimate MVP candidate, with a .545 slugging percentage and 18 stolen bases. Paul Edgintton, John Witzel, and Pete Tondreau have all been great too. But the Bulls’ pitching staff will be what keeps them from the playoffs (unless they can make up their 3-game deficit to Homer in the wild card), where only Byron Dodgen and Bill Ortiz have been acceptable in the starting rotation.

11. Chessie Ironhorse – Previous Ranking: 19 (+8) –

Chessie takes a huge jump up the power rankings as one of the league’s hottest teams. Their record puts them a game ahead of Vienna now (1.5 games out of the ML wild card), but we couldn’t bring ourselves to rank them ahead of Vienna when their Pythagorean says they should have a sub-.500 record right now. Still, this team is a real contender right now for that last playoff spot, and if they take it, a lot of the credit should go to Bernardo Gonzales, who is 4-0 with a 1.63 ERA in September, striking out 22 while only walking 4.

12. Orchard Park Blizzard – Previous Ranking: 10 (-2) –

With Orchard Park coming in at #12, the entire Musial Division is in the top half of the power rankings. The Blizzard are 4.5 games out of the wild card, and with 3 teams ahead of them that looks almost insurmountable. The Blizzard have scored the 5^th-most runs in the league despite not having any star hitter. And they have allowed the 8^th most runs in the league largely because of not having any star pitcher.

13. Chattooga Eagles – Previous Ranking: 11 (-2) –

The Eagles sit 5 games back in a weak Gibson Division, still mathematically alive but realistically probably not. But Walter Brindle will do his best to try to will the Eagles into the playoffs. If they do pull off the unlikely, Brindle’s 5 home runs and 16 RBI (.600 slugging percentage) so far in September could be the starting point for a memorable, but we have a feeling that the memorable part of Brindle’s season will be the 3-month span from June to August when he had a .340 slugging percentage and only 8 home runs and 23 RBI in 291 at-bats. Not much of a follow-up to his all-star performance last year.

14. Superior Moo – Previous Ranking: 13 (-1) –

Our preseason pick to win the Banks, the Moo stand a mere 24.5 games out of first. If we were to pick out one reason for this failure, as we are wont to do, it would have to be pitcher Guadalupe Tovar’s .016 batting average. (Does the analytical skill we displayed there help explain how we were so wrong in our preseason prediction for the Foxx?) More seriously, the Moo were expecting a whole lot more from Mike Linscott, who has had an OPS over .800 for the last 4 seasons before tanking this season, making almost 7 million dollars to post a .568 OPS.

15. St. Paul Stogies – Previous Ranking: 15 (-) –

The Stogies’ downfall this season? Well, they were 60-56 against right-handed pitching, but an ugly 10-24 against lefties. The best explanation for that lies with their cleanup hitter, Erik Eno. Against righties Eno has given the Stogies their free agent money’s worth, with a .878 OPS. But while Eno has always hit better against righties, he has always held his own against lefties, and had a .789 OPS against southpaws last year. This year he has a .589 OPS against lefties.

16. South Beach Sunburn – Previous Ranking: 20 (+4) –

The Sunburn actually have a pretty good record lately and find themselves only a game below .500, but fans of the old-time Sunburn glory should hold off in their excitement of their team’s impending resurgence, because according to Pythagoras this team should be 11 games under .500. Eric Quinn keeps getting on base and giving this offense a chance, but no matter how many times we tell him, he will just not stay put on first base, and it hurts his team. He’s been caught stealing 45 times now in the last two years, successful in less than 60% of his attempts.

17. Halifax Atlantics – Previous Ranking: 14 (-3) –

Halifax might boast one of the worst contract extensions in recent memory. Following the 1969 season, Quam got a 3-year extension paying him 5.65 million dollars a year. His return on that investment? In 1970 he went 2-9 with a 6.81 ERA in 15 starts before earning a demotion to AAA (where he did quite well, actually, 9-2 with a 1.35 ERA). He got back to the majors last year and had a 4.98 ERA, mostly out of the bullpen. And he’s won a starting job again this year and has a 4.96 ERA. And he’s heading into free agency on a high note (as in, a high ERA), with a 15.92 ERA over his last 4 starts.

18. Latrobe Lightning – Previous Ranking: 22 (+4) –

Ok, we were a bit hasty in giving out the league’s worst pinch hitter award to Scott Murray. We forgot some strong competition from Latrobe’s Tony Anderson, who has a .164 OBP coming off the bench, yet has somehow managed to accumulate 55 pinch hitting plate appearances. Happily, Anderson is at least only being paid the league minimum.

19. Cold Blitz – Previous Ranking: 17 (-2) –

Well, as he was struggling earlier in the season, we suggested that Tom Scranton needed a day off, and he’s been given a lot of days off, relegated to only 76 at-bats since the start of July. And he’s been great in that time, with a .618 slugging percentage. Next year is Scranton’s contract year, and we’re predicting right now that he’s poised to have a breakout year and really earn himself a big payday. Unfortunately for Scranton, we suck at predictions.

20. Honshu Nymphs – Previous Ranking: 21 (+1) –

Honshu must have been the only bad team to actually add players at the trade deadline, trading for Adam Wigginton. They were able to get rid of the contract for Clifton Derouen in the process (Derouen was poised to make about 3 million a year for the next 14 years, playing largely in AAA). Wigginton is giving Nymphs fans reason to hope for next year, recently breaking out of his long slump with 5 home runs in 52 September at-bats after hitting the same number in 201 at-bats in July and August.

21. Melbourne Mosquitoes – Previous Ranking: 23 (+2) –

The Bugs have actually played fairly well lately, now only 29.5 games out of first place. Despite another fine season from Roscoe Cribb, offense was this team’s undoing, as they are next-to-last in runs scored in the league. Anyway, we will use this space to mourn the loss of retiring Billy Long. The Bugs have let Long go out with a bang, giving him the 264 plate appearances he needs to really show the world what a pathetic shell of his former first-round-pick self he is these days. His .383 OPS this year really ranks him among the worst seasons in the history of this league.

22. St. Louis Assault – Previous Ranking: 18 (-4) –

Poor Barry Keith has to be wondering if he’ll ever win another game. The kid hasn’t won since July 9. Since then he’s gone 0-7 with a 5.53 ERA. His biggest problem? He’s not good enough to play in the majors. That one little problem has really hampered his major league career.

23. Medicine Hat Juffowup – Previous Ranking: 16 (-7) –

It’s been all bad for Medicine Hat since the all-star break, since when this team’s inability to hit or pitch has been problematic. This season has seen a lot of rookies for Medicine Hat get a chance at the big leagues and fail. These are some good prospects, who maybe were rushed into the bigs. It’s hard to pick which kid has been the bigger rookie bust, first baseman Billy Sabol (.543 OPS in 519 plate appearances for the former #6 overall pick) or gabe Newman (4-17 with a 7.97 ERA in 28 starts).

24. Texas Timewarp – Previous Ranking: 24 (-) –

Texas was certainly the most active terrible team at the deadline, trading away all of their pieces of any value (Wigginton, Miguel Arispe, and Jaime Sorrell, notably). It will still be quite a while before this team is competitive again, because this is by far the least talented team in the league, with both the fewest runs scored and the most runs allowed.

PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS

Before making our predictions, we will once again impress upon you our predictive capability by going over our preseason predictions:

DiMaggio – Falls Church. We got this right, but a blind squirrel could have found this particular nut.

Foxx – Superior. With Spalding missing the wild card. Um, yeah, right.

Feller – St. Louis. Currently ranked #22 in the power rankings. Yeah, good call there.

WL wild card – Homer. That looks like it might be a good call, but we had them just barely edging Spalding out.

Musial – Orchard Park. Currently in last place in the division (but the league’s best last-place team)

Banks – Boston. Might actually get this one right.

Gibson – Chattooga. They’re 5 games out of first, so it wasn’t THAT bad a pick.

ML wild card – New York. Might get that right too.

So all we are saying is, don’t put a lot of stock on the predictions that come spewing out of our pens.

Anyway, without knowing exactly who will be playing who in the playoffs, we’ll just make general predictions:

There will not be any surprise upsets in the WL. The Frenzy will play the Aeros in the WLCS, both easily getting by their first-round opponent.
Despite the worst record of any ML playoff team, St. Boni will pull off a first-round upset.
John Nissen wins game 7 to put the Aeros past the Frenzy and into the World Series.
Roger Summerfield wins the MLCS MVP and leads Boston to the World Series.
The Aeros take all of 4 games to win the World Series.

So the big question for the playoffs is, is the fact that we are predicting a big win for the Aeros going to result in them getting upset in the first round? We remind you that we suck at predictions.

Comfortably Numb

Albatros — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 16:13:00 GMT

Down for the Eight Count

Canes fans were disappointed at the trade deadline as two minor deals, one bringing in a utility outfielder from St. Louis - Frank Knaus - and another bringing in a rental middle reliever from Halifax - Glen Jackson - failed to address the two issues in making a run to the pennant this year. Those two issues: adding some power to the 23rd best team in home runs, to add some big innings to a nice on base team percentage, and some additional good bats to an infield that only had David Washington (20 HR, 88 RBI) to boast about.

The boasting was short-lived. Washington chose to parlay his newly refound fame in the free agent market, assuming his aging body would support another nice year like 1972. Unfortunately, his body chose to reply 2 weeks later, as he tore a hamstring pulling into second during a game in mid August which will have him back for the playoffs but with some obviously diminished capabilities.

Meanwhile the middle infield suffered its 8th through 10th injuries of varying lengths and severity over the last two weeks. In addition to that jab, Biloxi's young ace, Chad Nieman (9-6, 2.86 ERA) went down with a ruptured triceps in early August, and he's expected to miss the first round of the playoffs. Doug Crossen (11-12 and 1-6 since mid July) took a batted ball off his head during this difficult time and toughed it out, but showed some obvious effects. These body blows and head shots led to a nasty slump in August and early September where the team suffered several extended losing streaks and went 14-21, despite some strong starting pitching from the remaining starter corps.

Free at Last!

In other free agency news, Biloxi's front office chose not to extend an offer to David Mcbeth (15-12, 3.91) as he was requesting $13.5 million for 4 years, and negotiations quickly broke down from that starting point. Manual Espinosa (12-6, 3.22) chose to sign a $5 million extension over 2 years in the one piece of good news over the last couple of months.

Off the Cane Fields

In order to deal with the weaknesses exposed by the Washington and Nieman injuries, the front office has chosen to promote "Friar" Barrientos and Willie Coffey from AAA Nome, to varying degrees of success. Barrientos (5 HR) is learning first base as he enters the bigs, always a challenge; but he's responding well and is growing in confidence week by week. Coffey (0-5) looks badly overmatched and will probably get demoted to middle relief to start next year - or may return to the cold clutches of Nome baseball.

Maldonado Watch

Supes Current Rating: Plastic Man - Able to stretch singles into doubles frequently (3rd in the WL with 43). His value will best be seen in the future, but for now he's a nice role player on a good team.

Finally, Empire Turns to Elliott Again

caelon — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 21:20:39 GMT

September 4, 1972, Bronx, New York - Brandon Elliott can still remember his last major league at-bat as if it was yesterday. He could still feel the crisp, cool October air, the lights cutting through the night, the roaring crowd. Two down in the bottom of the eighth, runners on second and third, with Empire trailing the Bashers by two runs. With New York trailing in the 1970 MLCS 3-1, it was the biggest moment in Elliott's baseball life. He had carved out quite a career in Bayside, delivering clutch hits in pressure situations, so he felt calm, sharp, focused. He could still remember the rush of crushing that 3-1 inside fastball, and the exasperation of watching it sail deep into the seats just outside the foul pole. Four pitches later, with him still battling a full count, he remembered thinking, "Here it comes again, fastball inside. He HAS to throw it, nowhere else to go..." And he will never forget that sinking feeling in his stomach, as he caught nothing but air on a mighty swing at that inside fastball, which turned out to be a beautifully thrown change-up. New York managed no more offense, and the Bashers celebrated the Mays League Championship on the Colliseum pitchers mound that night.

Since that game, Elliott has toiled away in Bayside, carrying the Legion offense while waiting and wondering if he would ever get another chance in the majors. He watched as a horde of younger players packed their bags for New York, some returning and some sticking with the big club. September 1971 came and went, with no call up, and he watched Empire make a run to the Series with pitching and little offense. Then he really began to ponder his future in baseball when, earlier this season, Empire called up journeyman Robert Mccollough to take the place of injured 2B Robert Plotkin rather than him. All the while, at 33 years old, he was having the best season of his career in AAA, surpassing the 100 RBI mark before the calendar rolled to September.

Some within the organization believe that Elliott would have been the starter for the Empire at second base for years had he provided better glovework in the field. Scouts say that he has very little range and a below-average arm. These deficiencies have relegated him to a utility/pinch-hitting role during most of his stints in the majors. This season, he has learned how to play first base for the Legion, and has done very well in fielding the position.

Says Legion manager Bobby Bowen of Elliott, "With his bat, he's done everything we've ever asked of him, and he's really carried us. He's never sulked about being passed up for a spot in the bigs, and has been a great influence in the clubhouse. He's worked as hard as anyone on his defense, but he always seems to get a late break on the ball. And he's learned not to put too much mustard on his throws - better a slow throw than a wild one. Trying him out at first base has really worked out well, and I think he can contribute there in the field. He deserves another shot with the big club."

Elliott is finally getting his chance. Last week the Empire called him up, badly in need for a productive bat in the lineup. Unlike other call-ups though, with Plotkin again injured, Brandon is expected to fill a starting role this time through much of September. And with New York locked in a heated battle with Boston for tops in the Banks, Elliott's play will be a major key to the Empire's post-season hopes.

"With Plots [2B Plotkin] going down, it really has kinda opened the door for Ellie," said Manager/GM Caelon. "I told him that I'm not expecting him to be a hero out there in the field. Just go out and play your game. I've always felt he could contribute with the bat, and we need more help there this year than anywhere else. Even when Plots is set to come back, I think we'll give Brandon some time at first if he can be productive in the lineup."

"Besides..." Caelon joked, "he's got less hair than I do, so I think I'll keep him around."

So far Elliott has collected three hits and two RBIs in seven at-bats, and has looked comfortable both at the plate and in the field. He suffered a minor injury to his elbow making a tough throw last Sunday, but is expected back any day. And he is biting at the bit to get back out there.

"I'm really enjoying my time here now" said Elliott. "Just trying to soak it all in. The elbow's feeling a lot better, so I expect to be back out there in a day or two. At 33 [years old], I don't know how many more years of baseball I have in me, but I'm going to do everything I can to finish them here."

And you know he'd love to have another chance in that crisp, cool October air. If he keeps swinging like he did in his first four games, he may just get it.

-- Sportswriter Dave Anderson